1. Technical Field
The present general inventive concept relates to an image projecting apparatus containing a cooling structure that cools at least one heat generating unit accommodated in the image projecting apparatus, as well as methods for cooling an image projecting apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an image projecting apparatus enlarges and projects an image formed by a display element onto a screen. Such a conventional image projecting apparatus includes a plurality of heat generating units that generate heat during operation. For example, a conventional image projecting apparatus often includes an optical system comprising a display element and a light source, such as a lamp, a Light Emitting Diode (LED), and the like. The display element and the light source part are both heat generating units that generate heat during operation. For example, the light source part emits both light and heat.
Recently, an image projecting apparatus has been designed to be smaller and lighter in weight. However, this reduction in size and weight has led to various problems. For example, the reduction in size has led to difficulty in the rapid discharge of heat that is generated within the apparatus to outside of the apparatus. Failure to discharge this generated heat may cause a deterioration in the function and operation of circuit components inside of the image projecting apparatus.
To protect against such a failure to discharge heat, a conventional image projecting apparatus has used a plurality of cooling fans (Korean Patent First Publication No. 2002-8902) or a guiding unit, such as a duct and the like, (Korean Patent Application No. 1996-57169), which each supply ambient air to each heat generating unit.
However, conventional image projecting apparatuses that use a plurality of cooling fans generate an increased amount of noise, and conventional image projecting apparatuses that use a guiding unit have a complicated structure. Furthermore, such conventional image projecting apparatuses are necessarily larger in size so as to accommodate the presence of the plurality of cooling fans or the guiding unit.